Two campaigns for keyless electronic bike locks are currently running on Kickstarter, both using Bluetooth and your smartphone as a means of securing your bike. Bitlock comes in the traditional U-Lock format while Lock8 uses a cable and fixed lock box to keep your fixie safe as you sip on your afternoon cold press coffee.
San Francisco based Mesh Motion created the Bitlock- a keyless U-Lock that works with your smartphone to verify your identity. To unlock, simply walk up to your bike and press the button on the Bitlock. The wireless bike lock connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone in order to ensure you are actually allowed access to the bike (you can share your bike with other people by granting them access inside the app).
Each time you lock and unlock your bike, the Bitlock app records the location just in case you forget where you put your bike that morning or if you want to tell someone else where you left it. The app serves double duty as an activity tracker, recording how many miles you have ridden and how much you have saved in CO2 emissions by taking your bike instead of the car.
Out of the UK, Lock8 also uses your smartphone as a wireless key to both lock and unlock a cable connected to the fixed housing on your bike. You can share this electronic key with your friends so they too can use your bike. The Lock8 takes it one step further than the Bitlock and integrates a GPS/GSM chip, along with other sensors, directly into the fixed unit so that if your bike should get stolen or you can't find it, you can track the thief in real time.
The Lock8 also features an alarm that is triggered if anyone tries to tamper with the device either by cutting the smart cable or using something such as a drill to tamper with the box. A loud noise will be emitted (let's hope someone doesn't accidentally knock into your bike) and you will be sent an alert to your phone.
You can pre-order both the Bitlock for $79 and the Lock8 for £79 now over on Kickstarter.
Related articles